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Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany (or National Socialist Germany) are historiographic terms normally used to refer to the period in the history of Germany between 1933 and 1945, when the German National Socialist Workers Party (NSDAP) also known as Nazi Party of Adolf Hitler ruled the country. Officially, the German State continued to be called Deutsches Reich ('German Empire') as it had been in earlier times since 1871. However, in 1943 the Nazi Government decided to adopt the denomination Großdeutsches Reich ('Great German Empire'), which would continue used until 1945. Using the Nazi terminology itself, the Third Reich denomination is also frequent to refer to this era. Under Hitler's rule, Germany was transformed into a totalitarian state, which sought to control all aspects of life. After Hitler was appointed chancellor by President Paul von Hindenburg, on January 30, 1933, the NSDAP began to eliminate all political opposition and consolidate its power. Hindenburg died on August 2, 1934, so Hitler became dictator of Germany when the powers and offices of the Chancellery and the Presidency were merged. On August 19, 1934, by means of a national referendum, Hitler was confirmed as Führer of Germany. All power was concentrated in the hands of Adolf Hitler, and according to the principle of the Führerprinzip his word was above all laws. The government was not a coordinated cooperative body, but rather a grouping of factions struggling to accumulate power and win Hitler's favor. In the midst of the Great Depression, the Nazis restored economic stability and ended mass unemployment using high military spending and a mixed economy. Extensive public works were carried out, including the construction of the famous highways. The return to economic stability boosted the popularity of the regime. Racism and anti-Semitism, was one of the central characteristics of the official ideology. The Germanic peoples - also called the Nordic race - were considered the purest representation of the master Aryan race, presenting themselves as a superior race, under which Jews and other ethnic groups considered undesirable were persecuted or killed, and the opposition to Hitler's government It was systematically repressed. Members of the liberal, socialist and communist opposition were killed, imprisoned or forced into exile. The Christian churches also suffered repression, seeing how many of their leaders were taken to jail. Education focused on the political indoctrination of youth, instilling racial values and preparing them for military service. Careers and education opportunities for women were reduced. Recreation and tourism were organized through the Kraft durch Freude program ('Force through joy') and the 1936 Olympic Games presented the Third Reich on the international stage. Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels made effective use of films, public speaking meetings, and Hitler's speeches to control public opinion. The government controlled artistic expression, promoted specific art forms and discouraged or prohibited others. Germany made increasingly aggressive territorial demands, threatening war if they were not fulfilled. Austria and Czechoslovakia were annexed in 1938 and 1939. In September 1939 it ended up invading Poland, which marked the beginning of World War II in Europe. In alliance with the Axis Powers, Germany conquered most of continental Europe in 1940 and threatened the United Kingdom. Reichskommissariats took control of the conquered areas, and a German administration was established in Poland. Jews and others considered undesirable were imprisoned and killed in Nazi concentration camps and extermination camps. The implementation of the regime's racial policies culminated in the mass murder of Jews and other minorities in the Holocaust. After the German invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941, the tide turned against the Third Reich, suffering serious military defeats from 1942. Large-scale bombardments of German cities, railway lines, and oil plants occurred in 1944. Germany was invaded in 1945 by the Soviets from the east and by the Western allies from the west. Hitler's refusal to admit defeat led to the massive destruction of German infrastructure and the unnecessary loss of life in the last months of the war. After the end of the conflict, the Allies initiated a policy of denazification and led the surviving Nazi leaders to trial for war crimes, crimes against humanity and war of aggression in the Nuremberg Trials. Category:Countries Category:Political